


In A Heartbeat

by silverskyline274



Category: The Book of Mormon - Parker/Stone/Lopez
Genre: AU, Broadway, Connor McKinley - Freeform, Fluff, Gay, In a heartbeat - Freeform, M/M, Mcpricley, Musical, One Shot, book of mormon - Freeform, idk y’all i’m a soft bitch, kevin price - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-19
Updated: 2017-08-19
Packaged: 2018-12-17 05:54:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,341
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11845314
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/silverskyline274/pseuds/silverskyline274
Summary: Connor McKinley just wants to sit outside in peace. Kevin Price's presence makes that impossible.





	In A Heartbeat

**Author's Note:**

> umm this is my first published work so i hope its not terrible ! ~silver
> 
> also thanks to Jo for motivating me to upload this

Inhale.  _One, two, three, four, five._

He watched as the brown haired boy continued in his direction.

Exhale.  _One, two._

Every morning, Connor sat in the branches of the largest oak tree on campus. At first, he escaped to the branches to avoid the chaos and politics of the 12th grade. The crowds were enough to make his skin crawl, but the noise was always the worst. Nothing like the sound of screaming teenagers at 7 AM to remind you of how much you hate being conscious at 7 AM. But recently, he's come to appreciate the calm atmosphere, paired with cool morning air and the sun rising over the surrounding foothills.

 

That, and of course, the gorgeous boy walking through the main doors every day.

 

Connor didn't know his name, but everyone in the town knew his family. The Prices were the perfect Mormons; compassionate, friendly, and more enthusiastic about Heavenly Father than Jesus Christ himself was, probably. 

 

This boy, the eldest in the family, was popular with everyone. Teachers loved him, girls adored him. He had friends in every circle. His hair was always neatly styled, never a hair out of place. His brown eyes shone with confidence and enthusiasm, and he was rarely seen without a smile on his face. Gosh, he adored that smile. Every morning, Price casually strolled through the main courtyard, a textbook in hand as he concentrated on its contents. He tossed an apple in the air and caught it over and over, taking a bite between every few tosses. His eyebrows knitted together as his eyes skimmed the page, and Connor could see him barely chewing on his bottom lip. 

 

Connor thought every part of him was perfect. 

He of course knew that Price would never like him in any way. He glanced down at his own appearance; his baggy sweatshirt paired with faded blue jeans and black sneakers. He couldn't see his own face (thank Heavenly Father for that), but he could only assume that the red shock of hair on his head was messier than he could imagine. His eyes were surely puffy with sleepiness and stress. 

 

Jeez, he was a mess.

 

He could only imagine being friends with Price, sharing notes from classes (they were both in AP Lit together), cracking jokes together. Just the thought of seeing that smile up close, of hearing that soft laugh-

 

_No,_ Connor scolded himself.  _Turn it off. Turn it off._

Inhale.  _One, two, three, four, five._

Price was approaching the tree that Connor occupied.

 

_Turn it off._ Exhale.  _One, two._

Price was getting closer.

 

_Turn it off._ Inhale.  _One, two, three._

 

Connors breath caught. Price was scanning the trees surrounding him. Price hadn't seen him, but what if-

 

Connor lost his balance and fumbled out of the tree.

 

He yelped before hitting the ground with a solid _thud_. Luckily, he wasn't too far up, but he was high enough that his body meeting the ground  knocked all the air out of his lungs. 

 

Either the ground, or the perfect Mormon hovering over him, his soft brown eyes filled with concern.

 

"Hey, are you ok?" His voice was filled with concern as well as a slight twinge of confusion. 

 

Had he really just fallen for him?  _Literally?_

It took Connor a few seconds to collect himself. "Yeah, I'm alright. I look pretty stupid though."

 

Price laughed. The sound was soft and airy. Connor got a lump in his throat.

 

"You look fine. You sure you're ok?"

 

He nodded slowly. 

 

"Awesome. I'd see the nurse if I were you, you can't mess with head injuries." Kevin held out his hand to help the red headed boy off the ground, but the red haired boy just stared at it in minor shock. 

 

_Turn it off. Turn it off. Turn it off._ Connor took his hand and rose. 

 

"See you around!" Price flashed him a bright smile and bounded off towards the front doors.

 

Connor swallowed and collected his thoughts. Gosh, he must have looked like such an idiot. Falling out of a tree? What was he, an acorn? 

 

He sighed. As he gathered his books, he noticed what looked like a small notebook bound in leather. He picked it up and opened the cover, finding the words  **KEVIN PRICE** scrawled across the bottom corner of the inside cover. He flipped through the pages, finding all too familiar verses. 

 

_Oh no, this is Price's Book of Mormon!_

He called after the brown haired boy, but he was already walking through the front doors of the school.

 

Connor collected his books and threw them in his bag, chasing after Price. He ran up the front steps and burst through the main doors. 

 

"Hey! Uh, Kevin? I found your Book-"

Connor slammed into Kevin, bringing them both tumbling to the floor. 

 

Connor landed on top of Kevin, gasping as he felt the closeness of their faces. He could feel Kevin's breath on his face as he stared at him in shock, his brown eyes wide. 

 

"What're you-"

"Look, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to-"

 

Connor watched Kevin's eyes glance around the hallway.  _Oh, no._ The hall was filled with teens, but everyone was silent. 

 

He looked around.

 

Surrounding them in a semicircle was a group of 30 or so Seniors. Their expressions varied slightly, some more disgusted, some more amused. He heard whispers around him and suppressed giggles.

 

_TURNITOFFTURNITOFFTURNITOFFTURNITOFFTURNITOFFTURNITOFF_

Connor glanced back at Kevin one more time. Kevin's eyes were cast aside, staring at the floor. His cheeks were bright red, undoubtedly resembling his own. His eyes glistened with tears.

 

"I'm so sorry," Connor breathed. He stood up and ran for the courtyard.

 

_TURN IT OFF_

His eyes burned as he wrapped his arms around himself. He was such an idiot. He was a freak. Ever since fifth grade, he knew he would struggle his whole life. He knew that someday, he wouldn't be able to keep his feelings in check anymore. He had hoped he could skirt through high school undetected, laying low until his Mission. Then, maybe, he could redeem himself in the eyes of Heavenly Father. Then he could show that he wasn't a disgrace, that Heavenly Father had big plans for him. That he was meant to  _be_ something, other than the disappointment he was.

 

_TURN IT OFF!_

Connor reached the tree that he usually sat in. Instead, he decided to sit against the base. He sat on the side opposite of the main sidewalk, so that he wouldn't have to see anyone. Maybe he could cut all his classes for the day and remain under this tree all day, avoiding everyone,  _especially_  Kevin Price. 

 

He heard footsteps on the sidewalk behind him. He ignored the sounds surrounding him. A tear rolled down his cheek.

 

_TURN! IT! OFF!_

Two more tears. He began sobbing quietly, putting his face in his hands.  _I'm an embarrassment._

After a few minutes, Connor felt a hand on his shoulder. 

He jumped and looked up, his eyes meeting warm brown ones. 

 

"I'm really sorry about what happened back there." Kevin's eyes were filled with warmth, and Connor felt a wave of comfort wash through him. 

 

"I am too, honestly, I wasn't looking and-"

 

"Not that. I mean the way I acted. I shouldn't have acted so embarrassed. It was immature of me." 

 

Connor almost started crying again. "It's really alright. I completely get it, it's a sin, and Heavenly Father-"

 

Kevin sat down next to Connor and took his hand. "Relax. Take a deep breath." Kevin gave him an apologetic half smile, and Connor felt his heart melt.

 

Inhale.  _One, two, three, four, five._

Kevin continued to hold his hand. He gave it a gentle squeeze. 

Exhale.  _One, two._

"I'm Kevin."

He smiled and met Kevin's eyes. Now that he didn't feel ashamed to hold his gaze, he examined them; warm, compassionate, and friendly. There was something there that he couldn't quite place. Kevin's cheeks were still rosy, and he was grinning softly.

"I'm Connor. Nice to meet you."


End file.
